God's Own Country: Amazon.co.uk: Ross Raisin: Books

Frequently Bought Together

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Blackmoor

by Edward Hogan

3.7 out of 5 stars (15) �4.77

What Rhymes with Bastard?

by Linda Robertson

4.1 out of 5 stars (9) �7.19

Home

by Marilynne Robinson

3.4 out of 5 stars (26) �3.99

The Believers

by Zoë Heller

3.0 out of 5 stars (24) �4.66

The Secret Scripture

by Sebastian Barry

3.7 out of 5 stars (80) �3.99

› Explore similar items

Product Description

Review

Astonishing, funny, unsettling ... An unforgettable creation [whose] literary forebears include Huckleberry Finn, Holden Caulfield and Alex from A Clockwork Orange --The Times

Review

One of the outstanding first novels of 2008 ... as the plot takes a sinister turn, Raisin ratchets up the suspense

See all Product Description

Inside This Book (Learn More)

Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

(What's this?)

Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.

ross raisin(2)

moors(1)

yorkshire(1)

See all 4 tags...

Customer Reviews

27 Reviews

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(0)

Average Customer Review

3.8 out of 5 stars (27 customer reviews)

Share your thoughts with other customers:

Create your own review

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A very impressive debut, 22 April 2009

By	Denise4891 - See all my reviews

The anti-hero of God's Own Country is a fascinating character - very funny and engaging at times but also sadistic and menacing. In fact, the whole book has a air of menace hanging over it, from the gothic moorland setting to the way Sam stalks his prey, both animal and human, as he spends his days roaming the bleak North Yorkshire countryside.

Sam narrates the book and his Yorkshire dialect is rich and colourful, but I didn't find it intrusive or unintelligible - I did have to look up a few words, such as "blatherskite", "powfagged" and "hubbleshoo", but I think it's easy to follow Sam`s train of thought without having to resort to a dictionary. There's also a lot of dark humour in the book, mostly at the expense of the ramblers and rich `towns' who seem to be taking over the village and turning it into a yuppie outpost.

As with all the best unreliable narrators, you're never quite sure whether to believe Sam's version of events, especially as his relationship with the neighbours' girl develops and Sam's past comes back to haunt him.

I was very impressed by this debut novel which seems to have caused a bit of a storm in the publishing world and received a lot of award nominations. Definitely an author to watch out for.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Marsdyke's Game, 20 Feb 2009

By	M. Kratz (Manchester) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Gods Own Country was recommended to me by a friend after I had read De Niro's Game by Rawi Hage. I mentioned that while despite not liking the narrator-protagonist in De Niro's Game I found myself continuing to read the book because of his incredibly moving descriptions and poetic interpretations of the world around him. And so I was recommended Gods Own Country.

It's a very different sort of book about a boy Sam Marsdyke who lives an isolated existence on a farm on the edge of the moors. His is a problem of not receiving affection and also of not having anyone to bestow it on. Instead he pours his heart in to the companionship of his dog and the landscape around him. His relationship to the countryside of northern England is so intense and his knowledge of it so intimate, he often comes across as a kind of guardian.

The current and very real gentrification of northern mill-towns and farm-towns becomes a personal attack on Sam. The beauty is that Sam's criticism is not an over-romantic lament for the loss of rural values: he mocks the other villagers heavily when they fight to save a local pub being overtaken by a big company (none of them could stand the place before). Sam doesn't seem concerned with what other people are fighting for though. His allegiance lies entirely with the landscape.

Raisin's book feels very well-researched and there are several poignant glimpses in to rural life, which demonstrate how very differently the Yorkshire coutnryside is experienced by those who visit it (like me and the other 'towns') and those who live and were raised in it (like Sam).

Finally though one can't ignore the fact that Sam Marsdyke is also a deeply disturbed and disturbing individual, and the series of events narrated in God's Own Country are anythig but Emmerdale.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sympathy with the devil?, 10 Mar 2009

By	jakkibeme (London) - See all my reviews

I enjoyed this book because the main character, Sam, has a unique but very believable voice that grabbed my attention from the first page and left me wondering, right to the end, what on earth was going to happen to him.

Sam Marsdyke is quite an expert on the Yorshire farm where he lives with his parents, on the surrounding moors and on animals, but his relations with other human beings seem irrevocably doomed. Even his well-intentioned attempts to connect with other people leave him ostracised, and you soon feel that this is a character for whom trouble is simply unavoidable. At the same time, his caustic observations on his neighbours and on ramblers, delivered with fruity Yorkshire idioms, are both arresting and funny. At times I wasn't sure whether to cheer for Sam, feel sorry for him or despair of him. Which made him very real for me, to the point I could almost hear him 'blatherskiting' in my ear.

There's no doubt Sam is a disturbed individual, but it's hard to spend time with him, to see how ridiculous and disturbing the rest of us are from his perspective, and not have any sympathy.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review

› See all 27 customer reviews...

Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Well-judged debut
At last, a book with a genuinely interesting premise and intriguing central character. Why do we have to wait so long for that combination? Read more

Published 29 days ago by bloodsimple

3.0 out of 5 stars Engaging voice, but unconvincing
There'are enough other reviews here telling you about the plot outlines etc. so I won't go into those. Read more

Published 1 month ago by James Tobiasen

5.0 out of 5 stars A stunning debut.
A cross between Wuthering Heights and Cold Comfort Farm but Raisin has his own very distinctive voice. Read more

Published 2 months ago by Ms. Margaret M. Mcdermott

4.0 out of 5 stars Uncomfortable in a good way
Ok, the title of the review is a little flippant but that really sums this book up. As some of the reviews have stated, it's not clear why the protagonist in the story behaves... Read more

Published 3 months ago by Sir Bob

2.0 out of 5 stars A rather monotonous plodding tale rescued by some humourous interludes
I see that book has acquired some positive reviews although I'm afraid I rather struggled with it. It is the story of Sam Marsdyke, a rather cranky and delusional youth in his... Read more

Published 4 months ago by John M

4.0 out of 5 stars A great sense of place and character
I bought this book because of the beautiful cover illustration (yes, I am that shallow), but I thought it was a great read. Read more

Published 4 months ago by A. Davies

4.0 out of 5 stars A Champion Read
As someone who worked for a number of years on the North York Moors, I found Ross Raisin captured it's beauty and bleakness very well in a simple and understated way... Read more

Published 6 months ago by Mr. H. F. Murden

4.0 out of 5 stars Rural Yorkshire brought to life.
I really enjoyed this book - especially the lead character Sam's attitude towards people buying up properties as "second homes" when locals can barely make ends meet. Read more

Published 6 months ago by Granty

4.0 out of 5 stars Great read
I like it. You have to enjoy Ross Raisin's writing. It is very entertaining and dark! Sam Marsdyke is very tense character which made the story quite intrugued! Read more

Published 7 months ago by J. K. Trounce

3.0 out of 5 stars North Yorkshire Flaws
Gets off to a fine start, with rural reclusive teen Marsdyke causing mayhem for his rich new neighbours. Read more

Published 7 months ago by Peter Horton

› See all 27 customer reviews...

Listmania!

Books read in 2008 and early 2009: A list by Madam Butterfly
Top new fiction for a hot summer (2009): A list by EW
Striking new titles (2009): A list by NataliaBr "NataliaBr"

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category

Books > Fiction

Look for similar items by subject

Feedback

Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.

	81% buy the item featured on this page: God's Own Country 3.8 out of 5 stars (27) �5.17
	10% buy Blackmoor 3.7 out of 5 stars (15) �4.77
	3% buy Home 3.4 out of 5 stars (26) �3.99
	3% buy The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo 4.1 out of 5 stars (268) �3.96

God's Own Country (Paperback)

Frequently Bought Together

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Product details

Product Description

Review

Review

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Customer Reviews

Customer Discussions

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight

Start a new discussion

Listmania!

Look for similar items by category

Look for similar items by subject

Feedback

Your Recent History